Windmill



3 heets-Sheet 1..

(No Model.)

L. LEAOH.

WINDMILL.

Patented Jan. 19, 18864 l l/zfzzesg wo/b, $4 Q A N. prrsna PhaKvLilhagI-mpher, Washingien. u. c.

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. L.LEAGH. q

WINDMILL. No. 334,445. Patented Jan. 19, 1886.

N. PETERS. Pmwmhs ner. Wash'mgon, n. c.

UNITED STATES- PATENT FFICE.

LEANDER LEAGH, OF J OLIET, ILLINOIS.

WINDMILL.

PECIFICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 334,445, dated January 19, 1886.

Application filed March 11, 18-4. Renewed August 4, 1885. Serial No. 173,501. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEANDER LEAOH, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Joliet, in the county of Will and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Windmills, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l'is a plan view on the top, and Fig. 2 a rear perspective view; Fig. 3, a plan view on the top of the spider of the wheel, showing the attachment of bell-cranks n to the spider Z and the manner of their operation.

This invention relates to certain improvements in windmills of that class wherein rotary motion is imparted to a vertical driveshaft by means of a bevel-gear connecting it to the wheel-shaft; and the several improvements 1 have made are set forth in detail in the following specification and claims, and relate to the means for preventing rotation of the mill on the tower, consequent upon the use of the bevel-gear aforesaid, and in means for regulating the speed of the mill by turning the sections of the wheel in or out of the wind for that purpose.

The first improvement is shown in Fig. 1 as applied to a tailless mill in which the wind strikes the mill from the side toward the tower, while it is shown in Fig. 2 as applied to the ordinary windmill having a tail-vane in the rear, and in which the wind strikes the outer face of the wheel.

Referring to the drawings, {1 g and g representa horizontal frame attached to the rudder-shank. B of the mill, and having their arms converge to unite at their outer extremities, as shown in Fig. 1 more clearly, and having their outer ends supported by the guyrods W from a vertical port or ports, a a, as shown in Fig. 2. To the outer ends of said horizontal frame is hinged a pair of vanes, D and D, which are connected by the cross-rod R and eyebolts t and 15, forming hinges. The vane D is hinged to the frame 9 at its front end toward the wind, while vane D is hinged at about its center to the outer end of frame Rod It connects with vane D at a point about one-third of its length in the rear of its hinge d, between frame 9 and the wheel,while it connects with vane D in *front of its hinge d on the outer side of frame 9 toward the wind.

These vanes are free to swing laterally on their respective hinges. Vane D is intended to always stand in line with the wind. WVhen the wheel rotates in the direction of arrow 2, the bevel-gear c 0' will have a tendency to cause the wheel and whole mill to rotate horizontally on the tower in the direction shown by arrow 3, by reason of the resistance offered by shaft S. The use of the two vanes D and D is to counteract and prevent such rotation of the mill horizontally, and hold the wheel to face the wind, which service they perform in the following manner: When the wheel begins to swing around horizontally in the direction of arrow 3, the vane D will remain in line with the wind, notwithstanding the movement of the frame 9, and when the turntable or rudder-shank B, with the frames 9 and 9, have rotated horizontally so as to cause the vane D to stand relatively with the frame 9, as is shown by the dotted lines, it will pull on rod It sufficiently to turn vane D, as shown by the dotted lines, so it will stand fiat against the wind, the force of which will return and hold the mill in the wind, and thus overcome the effort of the bevelgear c c to rotate the mill horizontally on the tower. The drive-wheel e is keyed fast to the shaft H of the mill, and the bevel-pinion c,with which the drive-wheel c meshes, is keyed fast on the upper end of the vertical shaft S.

W is a weight to counterbalance the weight of the wheel on the tower, and NV is a weight attached to vane D, to counterbalance the weight of said vane on its hinge d.

The vane-frame g and g and vanes D and D may be applied as well to an ordinary windmill having a rudder-tail vane, V", as is shown in Fig. 2, and for the same purpose, and to assist the tail-vane in holding the mill-face to the wind. In such case of course it would be necessary to place the frame 9 g on the opposite side of the wheel between it and the tailvane, as shown in said figure. these side vanes, D and D, arranged to operate as shown, there is no difficulty in holding the wind-wheel face to the wind without any effort on its own part, thereby retaining the full power of the wheel that the wind would naturally give, and making it possible to use a bevel-gear to drive a vertical shaft, thus saving a large number of parts where a crank By the use of.

and pitman are used, and having the advantage of a rotary instead of a reciprocating motion. Another consists in the means for control ling the speed of the wind-wheel in the wind. The wheel is composed of separate sections S, hinged to the radial arms of the wheel by means of the ears 0. (Shown in Fig. 1.) In t a high wind the centrifugal force of the wheel has the tendency to throw the sections out, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. This is overcome or counteracted by connecting the sections S, by means of the rods F, to wheel E on shaft H, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2. The wheel E is loose on shaft- Il', yet revolves with it. A rod, m, connects said wheel. E with a beltcrank, a, in such manner that said wheel can be partially rofated 011 said shaft ll by means of said bellcrank, which is pivoted at its elbow at a to a lug integral with the spider 7. The other arm of the bcllcrank 11 pivots to an annular collar, (L2. in an annular V groove on a sleeve, i, on shaft H,whi :h sleeve 2 does not rotate because of its attaclnneut to l a pair of links, 0 '0, pivoted to its sides, as 3 shown in Fig. 1. These links t r pivot to the short arm of the hell crank lever r, which is pivoted at its elbow v between the ports a a, and having the weight J on its outer end, as shown in Fig. 2. Collar a? rotates on sleeve 5 i in an annnlargroove or channel therein. The weight J it will be seen will, by means of such connection with the sections S of the wheel have the tendency to'hold the sections S in the wind. The centrifugal force of the wheel. when at high speed countxerbalances the weight J and throws the sections S out from the wheel, 1 lessening thereby the area of surface exposed l to the force of the wind, and causing the sections S to act as self goternors in regulating the speed of the mill. As the sections S are i is parrotated or turned by the rods F on the thrown out, as aforesaid, the wheel E tially shaft H, which connect it with the sections S,

; and, through the medium of rod m and bellerank a, draw the sleeve 2' forward and raise the weight J, which of course falls again when the wind abates, and returns the sections back to face the wind, thus forming automatic means for regulating the speed of the mill by I permitting the tilting of the sections S, as described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows, to wit:

ln combination with the windmill de scribed, the horizontal frame 1 vane D, hingedat its front end to one outer end of said frame, vane D, hinged at about its con ter to the opposite end of said frame, and rod R, pivoted at one end to vane D, at the rear of its hinged connection withsaid frame, and pivoted at its opposite end to vane D, in front of its hinged connection. with said frame, all adapted to operate as and for the purpose set forth. 7

2. In the windmill described, the combination of the shaft H, reciprocating sleeve 1',

placed 011 said shaft immediately in the rear of the spider Z, collar a, arranged in an annular groove on said sleeve, links 121;, for connccting said collar with weight J, as described, bell cranks n. pivoted at their elbows at a to projecting lugs integral with said spider and connected with sleeve i, as shown and de- ,scribed, link-rods m, connecting said bellcranks with wheel E on the outer end of said shaft, rods 1", for connecting said wheel E with the vanes S, as shown and described, and vanes S, all arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

LEANDER LEACII. \Vitnesses:

Tnos. II. IIUTCHINS, XVM. J. HUIClIINS. 

